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-- Tüm Kategoriler -- KALKAN HABERLERİ KAŞ HABERLERİ KÖYLERİMİZDEN HABER TOPLUMSAL YAŞAM SPOR & SAĞLIK FORUM & SÖYLEŞİ OKURLARIMIZDAN KÜLTÜR & SANAT KİTAPLARIMIZ nE AyAk?... Gelişmiş Arama

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Construction season starts in one month

The construction season is almost upon us.  From 8am on Thursday 5th November, one month from now, building work can commence.

The bulding season will end on Tuesday 20th April 2010.

During this period, noisy construction work is permitted from 8am to 8pm.

If you find that your quality of life is being disturbed by construction noise outside these times, you should contact the Belediye so that they can investigate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traveling along Turkey’s southwestern Mediterranean coast

 

 

Continuing along Turkey’s south coast between Fethiye and Antalya presents a feast of ancient sites from the Lycian era through Roman times. The small towns that dotted the landscape were mainly fishing villages although some must have served as harbors for pirate bands during the Middle Ages.

The coast is scenic to say the least as one of the southern mountain ranges ends here in dramatic fashion. Mountains, forests and dramatic vistas over the Mediterranean. Kaş has – well, can one say benefited? – from this as more and more hotels and pensions have opened as people discovered the city. And it is somewhat isolated because it does not have a major airport of its own. People traveling to Kaş have to either land in Antalya or at Dalaman.

Xanthus

One first drives to Xanthus, the capital of the ancient Lycian kingdom. No one knows exactly when the place was founded but it is mentioned or rather the river that bears the same name is mentioned in Homer. Two heroes are in the Homeric epic of the Trojan War. One of the heroes, Sarpedon’s home was located in the valley of the river Xanthos and he was killed during the Trojan War. The other hero, named Glaucos, also died during the Trojan War. Other stories have been attached to the area, especially because of the Lycian shrine dedicated to Leto, the wife or mistress of Zeus and mother of Apollo and Artemis. Other myths have cropped up related to this shrine, known as the Letoon.

As with other cities in Asia Minor, Xanthus changed hands several times, but especially saw favor under the Romans. The Lycians have remained historically the first country to have had a federal system, and this formed the basis for the deliberations of the founding fathers of the United States.

Roman Emperor Vespasian’s name has been associated with Xanthus and an arch exists that has been dedicated to him. There is also an impressive amphitheater. The Xanthians made their mark in history around 540 B.C. when they committed mass suicide rather than surrender to a victorious Persian general. About 500 years later, they did the same thing rather than surrender to Julius Caesar’s murderer, Brutus, who was trying to raise funds for his war against Anthony and Octavius. The mass suicide of the Jews at Masada happened later.

The city declined later as a result of the chaos spread throughout the area during the seventh century A.D. as Arab warriors traversed the area in their attempts to conquer Istanbul. Excavations in the 19th century uncovered a large number of reliefs that ended up in the British Museum. At Xanthus, the 20th century excavations have uncovered a number of interesting remains such as the agora and the Inscribed Pillar or funerary monument to a local Lycian king. Another funerary monument has been named the Pillar of the Harpies from the reliefs that were on the structure. They also are in the British Museum at present.

Kaş

Kaş used to be the ancient town of Antiphellus, whose ruins visitors can find mixed in with today’s buildings but are mostly buried beneath streets and various structures. The most important reminder is the monument with a Lycian lion that today stands in the city itself. It has Lycian writing on it but as the language has not yet been deciphered, no one knows what it says. A local hangout is the tea garden next to the boat landing if for those who prefer a cool place to whittle away some time. A theater here is Greco-Roman, built around 200 B.C. and renovated around A.D. 250-300, and beyond that is a necropolis.

The beaches at Kaş are small so may become crowded; those in the know go east to Patara. There are boat trips to Meis Adasi, a Greek island to the south, or to Ucagiz and Kalekoy or the Blue Cave. For those looking for something a bit different, there is Kalkan, where one can visit the cliff tombs in the mountain. Other alternatives are a series of archaeological sites in the vicinity such as Patara, Xanthus, Demre and Letoon.

Patara

Patara is best known as the birthplace of Santa Claus, although he is most often associated with Demre, or Myra, a short distance away where he served as a bishop in the early Christian church.

Strabo says that Patara was the son of the god Apollo and Lycia, the daughter of Xanthus. Patara was an important city during the Roman period and it is known that St. Paul changed boats here when he was traveling from Ephesus to Tyre. A few remains such as the impressive triple-arched gate by which one enters the city, an amphitheater, the granary from which the city’s inhabitants’ were fed, some small temples, baths and a small basilica. Among the famous people who visited here, were Alexander the Great and Brutus.

The Temple of Apollo here was one of the best known in the world and was famed for its prophecies just as the shrine at Delphi in Greece. The structure hasn’t yet been found, although it undoubtedly will be some day and we will learn more about how the prophecies were seen. Usually the prophetess (the prophecy readers were typically women) would be seated near or over an opening in the ground from which noxious odors would arise and intoxicate her. At Delphi, the most important prophecies were written down, while at Patara it seems they weren’t important enough to be preserved.

Patara was the port of Xanthus until it silted up in later centuries and became a mosquito-infested marsh. Later on, in the 15th century, Patara served as a stopover for pilgrims going from Europe to the Holy Land. Today Patara can boast of one of the longest, sandy beaches along the Mediterranean.

Demre (Myra)

Demre is a village between Kaş and Antalya although closer to Kaş. It is a town to which so many legends have been attached that the settlement has become irrelevant.

Myra is one of the ancient coastal cities visited by Paul and Luke where they as prisoners changed their boats on the way to Rome. The most interesting building is the church of St. Nicholas built over his tomb. St. Nicholas was born in Patara and was bishop of Myra. Demre has an impressive Roman theater and rock tombs. Demre is located more than two-and-a-half hours from Antalya and is an agricultural town surrounded by an orange orchard and green houses.

St. Nicholas was born around A.D. 300 and became the bishop of Myra. He is known by legend more than anything else. In one, he is supposed to have brought to life three young boys who had been slaughtered by a butcher who was planning on selling the boys’ bodies to the public. Another involves the story of three young girls who were going to end up in slavery and prostitution because their father couldn’t put up enough money as a dowry for them. Nicholas went secretly at night and left three bags of money for each of the girls. This is sometimes thought to be the origin of giving presents in secret in December. In the 11th century people from Bari in Italy carried off Nicholas’s remains where they can now be found. Recently the Demre church in which he is supposed to have officiated was restored and church services are held there on Dec. 6

 

New theatre planned for Kalkan First School

The Kalkan First School Parents Association is working hard to get a new amphi-theatre built in the school grounds.

Plans have been produced by Karagül İnşaat Mühendisik, (civil engineers), of Kalkan, and people are trying to raise the required funds - somewhere in the region of 350,000 TL.

On Monday 28th September, starting at 7pm, there will be a public presentation of the plans, in the grounds of the school.  Everyone is invited to come along.

Likya Haber News has had a preview of the plans, and they are impressive.  Not only do they show the amphi-theatre, which will be funded through local donations, but they also show a new sports area, which we understand will be government funded. 

We understand that building work is due to commence early in November, and most of the noisy building work should be finished by April 2010.

If you would like to make a contribution towards the cost of the amphi-theatre, which will be a great community facility, you can do so at the Kalkan branch of Akbank.  Just go to the counter and say you wish to make a donation to the account that has been set up by the Parents Association - account number 3700.

Below: architects impression of the new facilities at Kalkan First School - theatre on the right and sports ground bottom left. The theatre will seat between 850 and 1,000 people.

 

Turkish senior banker wins top award

 

Here is another vote of confidence for the Turkish financial system - more specifically, for the governor of the Central Bank of Turkey, Durmuş Yılmaz.

His stewardship during these hard times has earned him the prestigious award of Central Bank Governor of the Year, by Euromoney.  He picks up his award in Istanbul, in October.

It seems that whilst the 'expert' bankers in the the western world were screwing up on an unprecedented scale, and then scratching their heads on how to get us out of this mess, the governor of the Central Bank of Turkey has been showing them how things should be done.

He has been widely praised by senior economists for his actions, particularly in relation to the management of interest rates.  It's another bit of reassurance for people who have invested money over here - even though savings rates have been steadily coming down.

Incidentally, his surname is quite appropriate for someone with such a tough job.  Yılmaz means undaunted, unflinching.

 

 

CPR training is as easy as ABC

          

On Saturday morning, 13 people attended a First Aid course run by Dr Cem Tolunay and his wife Bircan, who is a trained nurse.
            The free training was given at the Vakıf building on Şehitler Caddesi, and involved a PowerPoint presentation on CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation), dealing with a blocked airway, and other similar emergency situations.
            Following the presentation, attendees were given the chance to practice first aid techniques on a dummy - the ABC routine (Airway, Breathing, Circulation).

            Likya Haber News would like to thanks Dr Cem and Bircan for giving up their valuable time to impart a little of their knowledge.  Thanks also to the Mayor of Kalkan for letting us use the Vakıf Building, and also to Mojito Bar for the loan of their PC projector for the morning.

            Whilst this is a serious subject, it must be said that there was a certain amount of laughter as the dummy suffered the full effect of some rather forceful techniques.  Had we been using a real person, Dr Cem may have been called upon to treat a few cracked ribs. 

            Everyone agreed that the session was worthwhile, and Dr Cem has kindly agreed to hold another First Aid day, probably in April 2010, when he will cover other accident and emergency scenarios.  More details to follow in the new year.

 

Yacht once used by Atatürk visits Kalkan

Those eagle eyed watchers of Kalkan Bay may have noticed another spectacular visitor yesterday (Thursday).

No sooner do we say goodbye to the $250 million, ultra modern Yacht A, than we say hello to the majesty and splendour of the yacht once used by the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Atatürk.

The Savarona sailed into Kalkan Bay yesterday, so Likya Haber News took a photo for posterity.  See below.

In 1938 Atatürk used this 136 metre long floating palace to entertain royalty and other heads of state.  These days it can be hired for luxury cruises along the Turkish coast

Kalkan Belediye website goes live

Unfortunately for the non-Turkish visitors and residents of Kalkan, the English pages are not yet ready, so the best you can do is to attempt a translation.  Google translate is only of limited benefit here - it doesn't do a great job.

Just a couple of things to point out from the screen shot below.  Firstly, if you are into those 360 degree panorama photos, they have some, if you look at the bottom of the home page.  You can also browse some pretty good 'normal' photos by clicking on RESIM GALERISI, on the left hand side.

They do plan to have English pages, so watch this space for further news on their availability.

www.kalkan-bld.gov.tr

Week 2009 ends on a high note

Robert Ferguson must have been a relieved man on Monday morning. 

All that organising and planning certainly paid off, as the Swing Supreme jazz & swing band played their final gig in Kalkan's Aubergine restaurant on Sunday night.

See photos below.

All in all, it's been a fantastic week, with big audiences turning up to enjoy quality, live entertainment.  Robert estimates that overall attendances for the week were in the region of 650 people.

On Friday evening there was a concert down by Kalkan Beach, close to the recently opened Pinar Büfe, which was jointly sponsored by Kalkan Belediye and the Kalkander Association.  In one of the breaks, Kalkan Mayor, Saim Karakurt, and his wife Hatice, went on stage to personally thank the performers, and present them with flowers.

We should mention that these performances were thoroughly enjoyed by Turkish people as well as visitors.  If there is anyone who thinks that this kind of music is inappropriate or out of place in Turkey, they should have seen the local Turkish people tapping their feet, dancing and clapping along - especially at the Friday night concert by Kalkan Beach.

Quite apart from the enjoyment of the music, there is a great spin-off from this visit.  Audiences at each performance were invited to make a voluntary donation to the Kalkander Association.  It is intended that money raised will be used to support local children in their education.  A total of 2000 TL was received, which is a great achievement.  Robert would like to thank people, through KTLN, for their generosity.

 

Kalkan underwater clean up a great success

Kalkan took part in the worldwide International Marine Clean-up Day on Saturday 19th September 2009.

Promoted by Kalkan Dive Centre, this event saw 24 divers removing all sorts of debris from the seabeds in Kalkan and Kalamar Bays.  They had a further 10 volunteers manning the boats and providing support to the divers.

Kalkan Mayor Saim Karakurt and the Kaymakam of Kaş, Süleyman Yılmaz came down during the day to express their appreciation for the great work done in cleaning up the local marine environment.

The diving teams began the clean up near Kalkan harbour, moving round to the sea in front of Indigo beach club, then round to Kalamar Bay and Firnaz Bay.  

It was a full day, and they ended up with two tractor trailers full of debris.  The treasures of the deep included old fishing nets, assorted tyres, beer bottles and cans, plastic bottles, and a television set.

In the evening everyone relaxed and reflected on the day, at a party on board the Poseidon.

The project was financed by a generous grant from the marine conservation organization, the ProjectAWARE Foundation, together with donations from Kalkan businesses and recreational divers.

It is intended that this year’s effort will be just the first of many such events, with further clean-up events taking place in the following few years.  

A new school term beckons - and a new school

When Şeker Bayram comes to an end later in September, pupils all over Turkey will be preparing themselves for a return to school.

At most schools, including Kalkan First School, children return to school on Thursday 24th September - several days after their counterparts in the UK.

As a new school year begins, there are going to be big changes for some local children.  A brand new school is opening in Akbel, and most of its 190 pupils will come from the existing school in Kalkan.

This means that the children of Akbel won't need to travel as far and it will also result in smaller class sizes at Kalkan school, which is good news all round.

The Durmuş - Gülser Gedikoğlu Ilköğretim Okulu in Akbel opens its doors for the first time in September 2009, thanks to the generosity of local businessman Durmuş Gedikoğlu.  Durmuş, who is originally from Islamlar has paid for the design, build and fitting out of this wonderful educational facility.  See photos below.

The new school will initially have 190 pupils, but it is designed to take up to 400, aged between 6 and 14 years of age.  The headmaster is Faruka Tilgan, an experienced teacher who is originally from Muş, in the east of Turkey, and who formerly taught in Yeşilköy.  Working with him will be 15 teachers - 10 full time, and 5 shared with other schools, plus 3 further assistants working in the school.  

Kalkan Turkish Local News visited the new school and spoke to Durmuş about the project.  We asked Durmuş to compare this new school with the one he went to.  He told us that back in the 1940s schooling in Islamlar was quite basic.  Durmuş recalls that there was one teacher teaching 5 classes of children, all in the same room.  The building had no electricity.  There was no proper floor in the room - just compacted soil.

Durmuş left school when he was 12 to make his way in the world. After a brief spell as a tailor, he began selling motorbikes.  He also began a motorbike and side-car dolmuş service.  In those days everybody walked everywhere, so this was quite an innovation for a place like Islamlar.

Soon Durmuş started to sell spare parts, as well as the motorbikes themselves.  In 1990 he bought a bus which ran a service between Kalkan, Kaş and Antalya.  In the same year he started selling cars.  With the money he made from his businesses, Durmuş bought several properties and areas of land in Islamlar, Akbel and Kalkan.

So Durmuş is a self made man, and very wealthy.  But why did he decide to spend a significant amount of money on building this school?  Durmuş told us that as a schoolboy, the school facilities were quite poor, and he remembers saying that one day, if he were to become a rich man, he would build a school for local children.  And so, in 2009, some 60 years later, he has fulfilled that promise to himself.

It's a wonderful gesture from someone who clearly loves the community he lives in, and it will be a lasting legacy that will improve the prospects of generations of children in the future.

Turning to the building itself, it is bright, functional and well finished.  There are 14 air-conditioned classrooms on 4 floors, including a science laboratory and an IT suite.  There is also of course an office for the head teacher and a large staff room, plus a few ancillary rooms, including a small library.  Many rooms have wonderful views towards Patara Beach and the mountains beyond.

There are plenty of lockers for children and staff to put their belongings, and the desks are arranged in rows facing the front of the class, so that children are fully engaged with the teachers.

When we visited, the school was having several computers installed.  Many of them will be linked to projectors so that online learning modules can be displayed to the whole class.

Outside is a good sized playground, water and toilet facilities.  Alongside the school, a separate sports/activities area is being built, which will also be available to the wider community for functions and parties.

One can only wonder what the teacher that Durmuş had all those years ago would make of such a magnificent, purpose built facility.  Who knows, but perhaps the children of Akbel will have a bit of a spring in their step as they go back to school this term.

Mega lux yacht shelters in Kalkan Bay

Kalkan had an unexpected visitor yesterday (Friday 11th September). Taking shelter from the storm was one of the world's most exclusive, and distinctive looking yachts.

Yacht A is owned by 37 year old Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, although it is said to have been bought as a present for his wife.  (What's wrong with perfume)?

It's a shame he didn't see Kalkan at its best, as the weather was less than welcoming.  Still, the shelter of Kalkan Bay must have been far preferable to being out at sea in such stormy conditions.  We took a few photos the following morning (Saturday) - see below. 

If you would like to know more about this mega-yacht, try the links below.  If you want one yourself, it will cost you a cool $300 million.

 

 

 

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